used freezer panels

[xlogger]

I found some used freezer panels that a guy wants to sell. I was going to build a kiln to run off my OWB but first planning on building a solar kiln first. Has anyone here used this panels for insulation on their kiln?

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

The insulation in some panels cannot withstand any heat above around 115 F.

[AlaskaLes]

Our kiln was made using freezer panels that a friend offered me.  They were from a very large commercial freezer that was pulled out of a Sam's Club up here.
We were going to use a Reefer trailer, but free is way better than $4000.00!!
Anyway, I've had it up to just about 135F at one point and it has showed no degradation whatsoever.  During this time I shot one of the temp guns at the walls and ceiling and it was reading 125F on the metal skin on the inside of the panels.  These panels had been under tarps for a few years and I was getting some moisture out of them when they started to warm/thaw this winter, so I cut several 2" holes in the skin with a rotabroach to allow the collected water to be pulled into the kiln and dry them out.  The only reason, I've mentioned this is to say that I'm looking right at several small sections of the foam and it shows absolutely no heat degradation.
That is not to say that foam in other panels might not be so heat resistant.
Frankly that was one of my concerns as I had read here that this might be an issue.

As a plan "B", I figured, if it was a problem, I was just going to overlay another layer of the more heat resistant foam.

Being a very experienced commercial painter, I opted not to use the standard aluminum roof paint and instead went with a Polyamide Epoxy from sherwin-williams.
This paint is good to 100% humidity and 220F on a constant basis.  I prefer to paint something once rather than have to do it every few years.
Thus far the kiln doors are the only thing I've painted it on, but now that the outside temps are not in the single digits and the foam has dried out inside the panels, I will be completing the coating process.
This is some nasty stuff and it was NOT cheap!   I am using a fresh aire system while painting and I think the wholesale cost was about 750.00, retail was almost twice that for a 12 gallon kit.  The cost will be warranted when I don't have to buy more paint and add labor to re-coat every couple years.  Also, my kiln when painted out, will be a brilliant clean white and the visibility in the kiln will be greatly enhanced.
This paint is made for food grade commercial use and marine applications, i.e-submerged substrates.

I have 4" thick panels on the floor, walls and ceiling and it is impressive how well it held the temps even at -5F.
Les

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Les,
Did you have to prep the aluminum or stainless before painting?

[AlaskaLes]

 

   Here's my 1st posted pic here at FF
This is myself, Wife-Jessie and Very large Shepherd-Koen just before we started the 1st load of birch stickers. 
You can see the white doors.  I went with a bi-fold design to keep them under the roof in nasty weather.

I haven't painted the main kiln yet, just the doors and they are made from 2X6 and plywood. 
However, I will be doing a scuff and mild acid wash to clean the panels and after they've dried, I will be spraying with a standard commercial airless paint sprayer and then back rolling with a paint roller to improve adhesion.  The Polyamide Epoxy will cover about 200sq ft per gallon and I have enough to apply 2 coats on all of the panels(ceiling, walls, floor).
Following that, I will be applying a high heat/high humidity resistant caulking to all of the joints.  There is a little bit of surface corrosion on some spots of the panels, but it will be pretty easy to clean up with a random orbital sander and the acid wash.  Often a simple vinegar solution is quite effective on galvanized steel as a surface etch for paint to adhere to.  The epoxy does not require a primer coat and it dries very glossy and quite hard.  The coatings on the doors has proven to be very water resistant and I was actually misting the conditioning water directly onto the doors as a means to spread it out and help vaporize the water.  This is some seriously skookum paint and I do not expect to need to re-coat anytime in the foreseeable future.  If this does become necessary, it is simply a matter of scuffing the glossy surface with a sander and wiping the dust off prior to re-coat.

  This pic shows the access doors from the control room, one on each side of the charge.

  The last pic shows the kiln doors closed.  They've got 4" blue foam insulation and you can see the newly added control room.  I still need to do some more siding and put a roof over the control room.